Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Democratic Action Party (DAP) said they had agreed on the allocation of “certain seats” for the next state election.They said both parties had managed to iron out many differences, leaving some pertinent issues to be discussed in the next meeting slated for Sept 5.
Yesterday, both parties came to a round-table discussion pertaining to seat allocation for the coming state election.
“Yes, we have agreed on certain seats and disagreed on some seats, and the meeting (yesterday) was a fruitful one,” said Baru Bian, a member of the PKR negotiating team yesterday.
“We (PKR and DAP) have reached quite an extensive area in the meeting that was cordial and a first step forward for us to come and work together,” he added.
He told reporters this after almost two and a half hours of meeting at DAP Kuching service centre at Chonglin Park.
Baru stressed that both parties were happy to come to certain agreement about seat allocation, adding that both parties had reached a “very good understanding”.
Richard Wong Ho Leng, who was part of the DAP negotiating team, said both parties had “agreed to disagree” on certain issues, and that the “differences were common”.
Wong, who is state DAP chairman and Bukit Assek assemblyman, stressed that they would ensure both parties would not repeat the mistakes of the past.
“We will make sure that we will not repeat our mistakes of yesteryears, and we will ensure a straight fight against Barisan Nasional (BN),” Wong said.
Without disclosing the seats, Wong pointed out: “Majority of the seats have been agreed upon.”
Asked on the seats that had yet to be ironed out and if they are in rural areas, Wong said:”You can say that.”
Wong also said the party would also have talks with Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and PAS for the same purpose.
He said the fundamental principle of working together was to put a candidate who had a better chance of winning in a particular seat, the very thing that they had “agreed to disagree”.
He said the pact would contest in all the 71 seats.
According to Wong, the meeting between DAP and PKR was the “first official step” for them to discuss seat allocation.
Notable absentees at the meeting were State DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen and Bandar Kuching PKR chairman Dominique Ng.
The parties did not specify any reason for their absence. When contacted yesterday, Ng who is also Bandar Kuching assemblyman, said he was not invited to the talk.
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